The Cleveland Indians led the A.L. Central for most of the 2011 season, but they finished the first half 1/2 a game behind the Tigers with a 47-42 record. They are also 6.5 games behind the Yankees for the A.L. Wild Card. The best way for the Tribe to get to the playoffs is to win the Central Division. I look for the Indians to make a trade or two this month if they keep playing well. Here is a look at the players who made the biggest impacts in the first half of the 2011 season:

Team MVP: 25-year old switch-hitting shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera has taken his game to a whole new level in 2011. He has played in 88 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 105 for 358 (.293 avg, .836 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 14 homers, 51 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. The Indians need Cabrera to have a big second half because they have had some issues scoring runs this year.

Biggest Surprise: 26-year old righty starting pitcher Justin Masterson pitched in 45 games (39 starts) in his first two years with the Indians and he was 7-20 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. Masterson is rewarding the Indians’ faith in him this year as he has been dominating. He has pitched in 19 games (18 starts) for the Tribe this year and he is 7-6 with a 2.64 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He has only given up 111 hits in his first 122 2/3 innings so far this year and he has whiffed 87 batters while only walking 39 of them which shows just how effective he has been. The Indians need Masterson to finish this season strongly.

Biggest Disappointment: 27-year old righty starting pitcher Fausto Carmona has been pretty awful so far this year. He has pitched in 18 games (all starts) for the Indians so far this year and he is 4-10 with a 5.78 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Carmona’s job appears safe when he comes off the D.L., but the Indians need him to get back to the pitcher he was last year.

The Cleveland Indians beat the White Sox behind a dazzling performance out of starting pitcher Justin Masterson. The Indians really needed that after Fausto Carmona & Carlos Carrasco got beat up by the White Sox in the first two games of the series as the White Sox outscored them 24-20. On the bright side, the Indians really swung the bats well as they hit .318 with a .832 OPS over the weekend. The Indians hope to keep the bats going against the Red Sox this week who are 0-3 to start the year.

The Cleveland Indians are in last place in the A.L. Central with a 34-54 record which has them 15.5 games behind the White Sox. The second half could be even worse for the Indians because they are likely to be moving some veteran players in trades. Here is a closer look at the surprises and disappointments of the first half of the 2009 season:

Pleasant Surprises: Nobody expecting anything out of 30-year old outfielder Austin Kearns this season. But Kearns got himself some P.T. early in the year and he ran with it. Kearns has now played in 74 games this year for the Indians and he is 73 of 270 (.270 avg, .766 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 7 homers, 38 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. 24-year old catcher Carlos Santana is off to a very fast start to his major league career. He has played in 29 games for the Indians and he is 27 of 95 (.284 avg, .993 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 5 homers and 16 RBIs. It looks like he’s already the best player on the team. 26-year old righty starting pitcher Mitch Talbot came over from the Rays in a trade over the winter (for Kelly Shoppach) and he has been solid for the Tribe. Talbot has started 17 games for the Indians this year and he is 8-8 with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. In 2007, 26-year old righty starting pitcher Fausto Carmona looked like he was going to be one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. In 2008 and 2009 though he pretty much sucked for the Indians. He has rebounded in 2010 and he has made the A.L. All-Star Team. Carmona has started 18 games for the Indians this year and he is 8-7 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.

Disappointments: The Indians have certainly had their share of guys having bad years but these four are the most disappointing. 24-year old catcher Lou Marson was supposed to start at catcher until Carlos Santana was ready but those plans changed quickly. Marson played in 45 games for the Indians this season and he was 27 of 141 (.191 avg, .530 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 1 homer, 12 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He is in AAA along with 24-year old 2B Luis Valbuena who has been even worse this year. Valbuena has played in 49 games for the Indians this season and he is 25 of 151 (.166 avg, .514 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 2 homers and 14 RBIs. Valbuena was the starting 2B for the Tribe when the year started but he will have to show vast improvement before getting another chance. 33-year old Kerry Wood was banged up most of this season but he’s healthy now and he’s not pitching good. Wood has pitched in 23 games (0 starts) for the Indians this season and he is 1-4 with 8 saves, a 6.30 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. 25-year old lefty starting pitcher David Huff was the Indians’ leader in wins in 2009 but he’s already in AAA this year. He started 13 games for the Indians this season and he is 2-9 with a 6.04 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP.

The Cleveland Indians come into this week on a four game winning streak after sweeping the White Sox over the weekend. The Indians are now 6-6 on the season which has them in third place in the N.L. Central, 2.5 games behind the Twins who they will play this week. The Indians have been outscored 50-45 this season so far which is amazing to me. It seems as if the Indians are getting good pitching but not hitting which is exactly the opposite of what most experts thought they would be doing right now. So if the Indians start hitting and they can keep pitching like they are right now they are going to surprise a lot of people this year. The Indians travel to Minnesota and Oakland this week for three game sets on the road.

The Indians were swept over the weekend against the Tigers and they are tied for last place in the A.L. Central with the Royals and White Sox at 2-4 on the year, 3 games behind the Tigers. The Indians have been outscored 30-22 this season and for them to win they are going to have to start hitting better because the pitching staff is not looking too good so far. The Indians play a three game series at home against the Rangers to start this week and then the White Sox invade Progressive Field over the weekend for three games. Hopefully the Indians start hitting better this week.